3 July 2025
TSHWANE RECOGNISED FOR INNOVATION EXCELLENCE AT 2025 MIRA AWARDS
The City of Tshwane continues to lead the way in innovation, earning national recognition at the 2025 Municipal Innovation Recognition Awards (MIRA), held in Durban on 30 June 2025.
Organised by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the MIRA Awards honour municipalities making strides in innovation maturity — evaluated through the Municipal Innovation Maturity Index.
Tshwane’s performance reflects a deep and growing commitment to embedding innovation in its structures and culture, aligned with international benchmarks such as the ISO 56002 innovation standards.
Highlights from Tshwane’s innovation activities in June 2025 include:
- Launching the first Inter-City Innovation Challenge at the U20 Summit, paving the way for a pan-African municipal innovation initiative.
- Introducing the Renewable Energy Challenge in partnership with TEDA and UNISA.
- Hosting a successful Hackathon at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU).
- Engaging stakeholders on key issues such as intellectual property in the public sector and the implications of the MFMA for innovation.
- Supporting and scaling cutting-edge local technologies — from smart water leak detection to sustainable road repairs using recycled plastic.
Tshwane’s innovation ecosystem is dynamic and inclusive, drawing strength from collaboration with researchers, entrepreneurs, and citizen problem-solvers. This ecosystem is also home to the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa (SDCfA) — headquartered at the CSIR International Convention Centre.
As South Africa’s executive capital and home to most African embassies, international agencies, and the country’s science councils, Tshwane offers a uniquely fertile environment for diplomacy, science, and innovation to intersect. The presence of a vibrant research and industrial sector further reinforces its position as the ideal base for the SDCfA and a launchpad for African-led science diplomacy.
This latest award reaffirms Tshwane’s role as a national and continental leader in innovation, and strengthens our resolve to pursue bold, citizen-centred solutions that make a tangible impact.